NCA Self-Study Committee Meeting Notes
Thursday, June 22, 2006
106 STU
Present: Chick Blue, Catherine Frerichs, George Grant, Julie Guevara (Chair), Josh Hilbrand
(student rep), Bart Merkle, James Moyer, Barbara Reinken, Jane Toot
1. Minutes of June 6, 2006: Approved.
2. Agenda: Criterion 1 – Mission, Vision and Values:
CORE 1C – Understanding of and support for Mission:
 Survey of faculty, staff and students – what is the mission of the university and
how is it being accomplished.
 Improvements and recommendations.
 Timing of survey? Should probably be ready to send out in mid-September.
 Purpose of the survey is not for the NCA but how it benefits the university.
 Timing good for this survey because of new leadership coming into
administration.
 Contact Pat Oldt to help identify persons involved with most recent strategic
planning which involved development of the university’s current mission, vision
and values statement to help on development of this survey.
 Chick Blue will handle getting the survey distributed to the campus community.
People to ask for assistance in development of survey:
Philip Batty (Institutional Analysis)
Donijo Robbins (Public and Nonprofit Administration)
Current understanding – is there an understanding of the mission and how well are we
communicating it. Should the Mission statement be placed in buildings to be made
highly visible?
Challenge #4:
 Admin Structures –
o Deans Council
o Executive Offices
o Faculty governance
o First academic year conference teaching conference
o Resources for faculty travel
o New Faculty Orientation
o Events/both Allendale & Grand Rapids
o Student Services
o Transportation
o Other downtown sites
o Same university policies
o Library services
o Access issue
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o Student programming in Allendale
 Same opportunity for students @ YMCA (fee)
o Lack of interaction between GR students and Allendale
o Teaching/scholarship tensions
 Academic rigor
o Consistent/conflictual messages/University/Colleges/Departments
o Workload – faculty goal statements
 Faculty senate
Identifying that all colleges/departments/programs, etc. have mission statements and do
they align with the University’s mission. 95% already have mission statements and the
other 5% should be available soon. Do student learning outcomes align with the
university mission, vision and values statement? The assessment plans should be
available by the end of October.
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Facilities/yes – James Moyer
Hiring of tenure-track faculty is priority
CLE (Claiming a Liberal Education) – goals of initiative are to align student and
faculty expectations. University-wide – missions, marketing, curriculum
discussion regarding general education. Catherine has documents for resource
room.
Co-curricular activities
Growth of university – facilities, faculty, housing, other buildings, co-curricular
activities
o higher quality vs quantity
o Improve quality of existing facilities
o Community – campus in off sites – multiple sites
Strengths
Opportunities
Recommendations
DIVISION II Institution – resources – get from Tim Selgo
CORE 1D – Governance and Administrative Structures:
 Board of Trustees – education/mission
o New President
o News releases
 Faculty Governance
o Defined - processes
o Structure
o Effectiveness
o Student representation on all governance committees
 Other
 SSSC
 CLE
 Graduate Council
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Shared leadership with administration
o Support for faculty governance
 Facility
 Reassigned time
Reorganization (Gayle Davis for resources)
o Board document – mission, vision and values present in document?
Effective leadership – evaluations at all levels
Collaborative Process:
o Workload
o Graduate council
o FSBC
o Academic Policies & Standards Committee.
o Ex officio from Provost’s Office on all faculty governance committees
o UAC and faculty governance
o intergroup dialogues
o Liberal education initiative
Service Assignments increase
Evaluation of Processes:
o UCC (University Curriculum Committee
o Information Technology
 Registration
 Orientation – student and faculty
o UAC
o Benchmarking
o Audits – registration/financial aid
o Professional/accreditations
 Self-study
Opportunity for improvement: effective communication
o Central place for reporting
o Planning Calendar
o *Luminas (part of Banner system)
o Responsibility to know
o Information overload
o Faculty governance communication issue
o Size complexity of university
Strengths
Opportunities
Recommendations
CORE 1E: Integrity
 Human Resources
 Student Code
 Faculty Handbook
 CLE
 Faculty own/run the curriculum – academic integrity
 Course repeat policy
 Academic Policies and Standards Committee.
 (area for improve section) University-wide plagiarism policy - that really works
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Academic freedom
IRB reviewing policy
Intellectual property
All policies
Co-curricular activities
o Student Services
o Athletics
Faculty conflict resolution team
Discrimination mediation team
Mediation
Strengths
Opportunities
Recommendations
Each committee member was asked to submit names of persons to be considered for the
subgroups for discussion at the next meeting.
NOTE: For Site Visit – Will need locations for the NCA accreditation team to perch in
Allendale, Grand Rapids (Pew and CHS). Most resource materials will be virtual.
3. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. The next meeting will be held on
Thursday, July 13, 2006, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., 106 STU. Agenda will be Criterion 2.
Future Meeting Dates for 2006:
Thursday, July 20, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., 106 STU (lunch provided) – Criterion 2
Thursday, August 10, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., 106 STU (lunch provided) – Criterion 3
Tuesday, August 22, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., 106 STU (lunch provided) – Criterion 3
Thursday, September 14, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU – Criterion 5
Thursday, September 28, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU- Criterion 5
Thursday, October 12, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU
Thursday, October 26, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU
Thursday, November 9, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU
Thursday, November 30, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU
Thursday, December 14, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 106 STU
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